In Calais, militant chaplain Philippe Demeestère has stopped his hunger strike
By Redaction Reform with AFP
On October 11, Anaïs Vogel, Ludovic Holbein and Philippe Demeestère went on hunger strike to protest against the living conditions of the refugees.
The three activists Anaïs Vogel Ludovic Holbe in Philippe Demeestère and Philippe Demeestère launched a hunger strike against the living conditions of some 1,500 migrants currently present in Calais.
Their demands: the end of evictions during the winter period, the confiscation of the affairs of migrants in the camps, and the establishment of a citizen dialogue between public authorities and associations not mandated by the State. ” Faced with this alarming observation, the State was arrested but no satisfactory response was felt ”, they confide in their statement posted online with the petition presenting them objective.
These claims appear on a large banner hung up in the Saint Pierre church in Calais. This Catholic church is part of the Diocese of Arras, where Anaïs, Ludovic and Philippe have been staying for 25 days. The latter, a chaplain within “Secours Catholique”, ended the fast on November 4. The two activists, Anaïs Vogel and Ludovic Holbein, continue the strike movement, it is indicated in a press release.
UN “Night accommodation lock” with 300 places
Sent to mediation in Calais by the government in recent days, the boss of the French Office for Immigration and Integration (Ofii), Didier Leschi, announced on Wednesday the creation of a “night shelter “Of 300 places which” will be open every day after the evacuations of migrants.
For its part, the state pledged on Tuesday to “systematically” offer accommodation to migrants dislodged from their makeshift camps. And Philippe Demeestère, 72, announced that he would get down to “putting into service” a “new winter shelter” for migrants. The priest remains in solidarity with his two companions. He explains that the radical nature of the means chosen “aims to assert our demand: no longer subject to mistreatment the people who continue to stay on the coast of Pas-de-Calais. “
He says he is determined to pursue his commitments “like a flame passing from candle to candle”. If he calls on political leaders to find “answers respectful of human rights”, it also encourages all citizens to act in favor of humanity, each “at his convenience”.
Meike Drechsler
As part of the collective “Hunger at the borders”, the strikers continue on social networks: